6. Ukrainian forces have continued fighting in the region, leveraging their positions for potential future negotiations.The NIS remarks follow President Volodymyr Zelensky’s claim on Jan. 9 that North Korean forces fighting alongside Russian troops have suffered 4,000 casualties, both killed and wounded.The NIS reported that North Korea has allegedly forced its soldiers to kill themselves to avoid capture by Ukrainian troops. White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby confirmed on Dec. 27 that some North Korean soldiers had taken their own lives, fearing retaliation against their families if captured.On Jan. 11, Zelensky announced the capture of two North Korean soldiers in Kursk Oblast. The prisoners of war (POWs), identified by the NIS as members of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, North Korea’s military intelligence agency, are now in the custody of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and receiving medical care.Zelensky shared video footage of the SBU interrogating the POWs with the assistance of Korean translators.